Will McEachern, BAP Community Liaison
The Biltmore Area Partnership, or BAP, was founded thirty years ago this month, in May 1994, as a non-profit Arizona corporation. It was established by leaders of the Biltmore community. The founding directors included those from the Arizona Biltmore Hotel, ABEVA, Embassy Suites, and the Biltmore Fashion Park. Now, thirty years later, four of the seven current directors are also from those same entities.
You may be familiar with some other founding board member, such as City Councilman Sal DiCiccio, theater mogul Dan Harkins, and restaurateur Paul Fleming. Fleming would later go on to develop P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, which sold in 2012 for $1.2 billion. Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar was also his idea, along with several other restaurant concepts. When he was a founding director, Fleming ran Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. Thus, the BAP has good bones.
The BAP may be 30 years old, but it’s new every day with new challenges and new opportunities for the Biltmore neighborhood. For example, the BAP founding documents say nothing about monthly luncheons with speaker, but those have enriched the community.
Civic engagement is what the BAP is all about. Through our luncheon speakers, we learn first-hand what’s going on in the community, the city, and the state. We can offer comments and pose questions. (God knows I’ve asked my share.) Of course, we also get to socialize and enjoy a nice lunch in an attractive setting, such as today at The Gladly.
Regular luncheon speakers include the mayor, county commissioners, the police chief, the state treasure, and our city councilor, beginning with Sal DiCiccio, then to Greg Stanton, then back to Sal, and now with Kevin Robinson. The BAP has also hosted candidate’s forums such as when Greg Stanton ran against Wes Gullet for mayor, and when Kevin Robinson ran against seven candidates for the District 6 open council seat, an event I moderated.
In recent years, thanks to the follow through of board member Carla Hancock, the BAP has invited our First Responders to an annual picnic of gratitude and appreciation. Another such event is planned for this fall.
At times, the BAP becomes the squeaky wheel prompting a sidewalk repair, a streetlight replacement, or smoothing a bumpy road. The recent repaving of our stretch of Camelback Road may have happened anyway, but constantly reminding our mayor and council member probably didn’t hurt. Dressing up the center strip along Camelback Road was another welcome upgrade.
The BAP also helped nurture into being the Camelback Pedestrian Underpass. This beautiful 14 million dollar structure has won four national awards for engineering and construction excellence. Most of us now take it for granted, but the underpass has contributed to our convenience and to our safety. The underpass may help explain why the intersection of 24th Street and Camelback Road, though one of the busiest in the Valley, is also one of the safest. According to a recent study, this intersection did not rank among the top 50 most accident-prone intersections in the Valley.
Thirty years in quite a milestone. By way of comparison, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average marriage in the United States lasts only eight years. The BAP is not a perfect organization, but it’s so much better than none at all. The BAP promotes the sort of social capital that brings community interests together. We are not always of one mind, but we all want to see the Biltmore area shine.
The Biltmore area is the financial center of the state with more than 30 financial institutions clustered along Camelback Road between 16th Street and 32nd Street. And despite some recent flatness in the Valley’s office market, the Camelback corridor continues to thrive, with a mixed-use office tower proposed next to Lifetime Fitness. What’s more, the $45 million makeover of The Esplanade office complex will feature enhanced landscaping and amenities as well a new anchor restaurant managed by the parent of Morton’s Steakhouse. To be named Hearsay, the restaurant will offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as happy hour.
Finally, the BAP has prospered because of the many individuals over the years willing to give their time as officers and directors. But the glue that has held the BAP together for decades was Ed Rossi, Executive Director, with a tremendous assist from Linda Rossi. Since 1996, they have been contacting speakers, arranging luncheons (more than 200 so far), compiling monthly newsletters, and more. After Ed’s recent passing, Linda graciously agreed to take over and now also helps Marie Camarano update the BAP’s new Facebook page at facebook.com/BiltmoreAreaPartnership.
Without Ed and Linda’s abiding attention, the BAP would not be where it is today. In marriage, the 30th year is designated as the Pearl Anniversary. Ed and Linda Rossi have shaped and polished the Biltmore Area Partnership into the pearl it is today.